In 1992, when the Dream Team defeated Croatia 117-85 in the final to win the gold medal, then-US coach Chuck Daly said after the game, "They knew they were facing the best team in the world. They can go home and tell their kids for the rest of their lives: 'I played against Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird.' The more they played against our top players, the more confident they became."
Without a doubt, the Dream Team sixteen years ago swept the entire global basketball scene with an invincible aura. That year, the New York Times even described it as: "We dominated the Olympics in an extremely unfair way. We sent the best basketball players on the planet, and then, with one boring massacre after another, we extinguished the enthusiasm of other countries to participate in Olympic basketball."
However, sixteen years later, as the Dream Team once again stood on the Olympic final stage, the New York Times had this to say: "The new GOAT of the basketball world is destroying the sport. He has destroyed basketball's past and present, and the Redemption Team's chances of achieving redemption in the Beijing Olympics are now only theoretical."
Before the final, American media widely predicted a grim outcome for this Redemption Team, led by Kobe and LeBron. So much so that on the American internet, the most interesting topic for fans wasn't whether this Redemption Team could pull off an upset against Zack's team in the final, but rather if the star-studded 1992 Dream Team could collectively contain Zack, the new GOAT.
On paper, the Dream Team's Robinson and Malone could match up with Zack, and Pippen and Barkley could effectively limit Zack with double-teams from the wing. As for Yao Ming, Ewing could counter him. Plus, in critical moments, Chuck Daly, who knew Jordan best, would surely have the old GOAT unleash his divine power. So, if this epic battle could happen, the '92 Dream Team seemed to have a good chance of defeating this incredibly despairing team.
American fans' conjectures were destined to remain just that—conjectures. And with such conjectures, all American fans once again realized that the decline of American basketball was an irreversible fact.
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### The Final Showdown: vs. USA
August 24, 2008. Wukesong Basketball Arena. The Olympic men's basketball final between host and the USA took place as scheduled. During the pre-game warm-up, watching Yao Ming's shots clank off the rim, Zack patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Don't be nervous, you're an NBA FMVP."
"The whole nation is expecting us to deliver this gold medal as a gift for the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony," Yao Ming took a deep breath. "Do you know how many eyes are on us right now?"
Zack glanced at the Olympic champions from various delegations who had appeared in the stands to cheer for the men's basketball team and said, "There are definitely over a billion viewers."
As the towering pillar of this men's basketball team, Zack naturally knew the immense pressure the team would face in this game. However, ever since his college days, Zack had developed a good habit of remaining calm and collected before major battles. At that moment, Yao Ming felt that Zack's heart was impossibly strong for a human. But the next second, as Yao Ming's gaze met Zack's consistently fiery eyes, Yao Ming found that his previously restless heart gradually settled down. Was this why Zack's teammates never faltered in crucial battles? (Paul: ?)
At center court, after both teams warmed up, Zack's old friend, Carl Jungebrand, walked to the center circle with the ball. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Yao Ming won the tip-off, giving possession.
The US team deployed full-court pressing defense from the start. Compared to the previous opening game, LeBron James in the final was defending Zack with two hundred percent effort. While LeBron later in his career had some laughable defensive highlights, it must be stated that when young LeBron defended with full effort, the pressure he applied to the ball-handler through physical confrontation was absolutely suffocating.
Typically, when defending an opponent with the ball, LeBron feared two types of players. One was too fast for him to keep up with. The other could disregard his physical confrontation and instead use skill to punish his defensive habits. So, the question is, which type was Zack?
The answer is a third type.
On the court, Zack suddenly dribbled low, lowering his center of gravity. The moment he pushed past LeBron, he unexpectedly burst towards the US team's restricted area. Inside the US paint, Howard, who had rotated over for help defense, tried to heavily contest Zack's shot. But Zack, actively seeking physical contact, somehow suspended himself in that darn sky after making contact with Howard! When Howard landed first, he could only watch as Zack tossed the ball off the backboard.
Clank, Swish!
Beep—!
Basket and whistle, an opening AND-ONE! Zack's talent overpowered Howard, who was known for his athleticism.
"America's Superman is getting worse with each generation," Zack grumbled about Howard's defense before stepping to the free-throw line. Howard, not daring to talk back to Zack, could only swallow his anger.
Zack made the free throw. On the return, it was the US team's possession. After the group stage and two knockout games, Zack thought the US team would have found a way to break zone defenses. But noticing LeBron's helpless ball-handling at the top of the arc, Zack immediately felt relieved.
On the wing, Kobe, who had used a Howard screen to wrap around to the right side of the court and receive the ball, pulled up for a contested jumper after one dribble.
Swish!
Kobe's shooting percentage in this Olympics had significantly improved after entering the knockout stage. This was consistent with Zack's memory. Historically, Kobe, who averaged only 12.6 points in the group stage of this Olympics, averaged 19 points in the knockout stage, and his overall field goal percentage also increased from 43% in the group stage to 50%. Kobe starting this final hot was definitely not good news for .
Next, it was 's offensive possession. After a high pick-and-roll with Yao Ming, Zack's original intention was to pass the ball to Yao Ming so Yao Ming could pass it back to him, as Zack needed to move off-ball to find a good isolation opportunity. But who would have thought that Yao Ming, after receiving the ball, unexpectedly hit a step-back three-pointer from the top of the arc without hesitation?
Swish!
Yao Ming's three-pointer was decisive and went in smoothly. And after scoring, Yao Ming even pounded his chest three times, like Kevin Garnett, to show his toughness and ferocity.
"Great pass!" Yao Ming told Zack while retreating on defense. Hearing this, Zack, without batting an eye, told Yao Ming, "I knew you wouldn't waste my assist."
At Wukesong Basketball Arena, Yao Ming's made three-pointer for drew waves of cheers from the crowd. Conversely, on the US offensive possession, Zack focused his attention on Anthony, who was attempting to break free from his defensive control. With the implicit approval of head referee Jungebrand, after just a few physical contacts, Anthony fully realized how much Zack valued him.
"Brother, you can't even deny me the right to breathe!" Anthony complained about Zack's savage defense. Seeing this, Zack said, "No way, Melo, you're the number one star of this US team in my eyes."
"..."
At this moment, Anthony's mood suddenly became complicated. On one hand, he hated Zack's rough defense. But on the other hand, he also appreciated Zack's respect, given because Zack considered him the number one star of this US team. Under Zack's aggressive targeting, Anthony was destined to struggle to score for the US team as he usually would.
In the paint, after Yao Ming successfully stopped LeBron's kingly drive, Zack, who grabbed the rebound, immediately dribbled the ball swiftly past half-court. Sun Yue, who had run ahead on the fast break, successfully received Zack's long quarterback-like pass and made a layup despite Kobe's tight defense. Sun Yue was arguably 's most impressive player besides Zack and Yao Ming in this Olympics. Not only were domestic media praising him, even the Los Angeles Times published an article stating: "The best Lakers player in this Olympics is undoubtedly 's Sun Yue. This Kukoc-esque player averages 12 points for and is shooting over 40% from three-point range."①
However, this version of Sun Yue also made Zack wonder. Based on the offensive and defensive abilities he displayed in the Olympics, as long as he maintained the same defensive intensity in the NBA, handled the ball for two dribbles per game, and hit open three-pointers consistently, why wouldn't he find a job? In fact, it wasn't just Zack who was puzzled. Sun Yue's performance in this Olympics also perplexed Kobe. As Sun Yue's teammate, Kobe knew very well that if Sun Yue could just deliver half the effort he showed in this Olympics, the Lakers would gain another quality defensive player who could be part of the rotation.
However, that's "Great Sage" Sun. Even Zack and Kobe felt helpless about him.
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### Zack's Dominance and American Disappointment
On the court, during the US team's offensive possession, veteran Kidd quickly passed the ball to the frontcourt to speed things up. But the usually calm and collected LeBron, after receiving the ball, motioned for Kidd not to rush. LeBron's reason for not rushing was that Yao Ming and Zack had already gotten back on defense. Even if he wanted to go fast, he couldn't just force his way through those two interior towers, could he?
But Kidd wanted LeBron to speed up because after losing the previous possession, Kobe had already quickly dashed to the team's half-court. In Kidd's opinion, as long as LeBron initiated a hand-off with Kobe, Kobe would surely get an open look from beyond the arc. However, the inherently simple LeBron couldn't grasp this subtle strategy in a moment. So, the US team's offense was forced to slow down again.
Then, in an incredibly sloppy half-court offense, Howard, who received a last-second pass from LeBron, got a chance to challenge Yao Ming with about three seconds left on the shot clock. Howard, with no time to think, bravely attempted a hook shot. And Zack, who was unexpectedly blessed, inexplicably received the basketball delivered to his hands by Howard on the other side of the court. Due to excessive force during his drive, Howard's hook shot flew directly over the rim. If Howard's hook shot was taught by Ewing, then Ewing, as the teacher, must bear full responsibility for Howard's terrible shot. What kind of garbage was he teaching? The former "Four Great Centers" taught for so many years, and all they taught Howard was how to throw a discus? In Zack's opinion, the undeserving Ewing might as well switch careers and become a coach for the US track and field team.
At Wukesong Basketball Arena, Zack's initiated fast break was once again interrupted by Kidd's tactical foul. At this point, Yao Ming stepped forward and told Zack, "Remember to pass me one. I can't watch this anymore." Hearing this, Zack, knowing Yao Ming couldn't stand seeing such plays, nodded.
On the court, after the inbounds pass, Zack immediately bounced the basketball to Yao Ming's chest, who was already positioned in the low post. Then, using his size to create space, Yao Ming turned and made a hook shot. On ESPN, Mike Breen described Yao Ming's hook shot as a live demonstration and lamented, "Can American basketball truly no longer find a center with solid fundamentals who can also defend in a game?"
During this period, the only American center who could somewhat hold his own was Al Jefferson. Unfortunately, because Jefferson was not considered among the strongest American players in the current NBA era by USA Basketball, Jefferson was left off the Redemption Team's roster at the last minute. This was the Dream Team prioritizing stars for the sake of stars. In Zack's eyes, they were like a team that bought an Intel motherboard but insisted on forcing an AMD CPU into it.
Kobe became the only bright spot in the US team's starting lineup. Under the "curse" of die-hard Kobe fan Zhang Weiping (a famous basketball commentator), Kobe made two highly difficult fadeaway three-pointers against Sun Yue's defense. But speaking of three-pointers, they were actually just Kobe's usual long two-point shots from his NBA days.
However, Kobe's two three-pointers couldn't quench their thirst. Because fundamentally, the US team had never broken 's zone defense, not even once, from start to finish. Moreover, while Kobe's miraculous shots were incomprehensible to Zhang Weiping, Zack's powerful jump shots were equally accurate, making Breen stomp his feet repeatedly: "He made it, he made it again! Can anyone tell me why the FIBA three-point line is only 6.25 meters?"
In the first quarter, the increasingly frustrated US team played both Chris Paul and Deron Williams together in the backcourt to improve their offense. This was a very strange backcourt combination. While Paul and Williams' presence did effectively improve the US team's ability to break the zone defense, the US team, forced to bench Anthony to use two point guards, completely unleashed Zack.
In the paint, when Zack was able to return to the interior, LeBron, attempting to attack the rim directly with off-ball cuts, was perfectly anticipated by Zack in his shot timing because international play doesn't allow him to gather the ball like he would in the NBA.
Slap—!
On the court, as Zack swatted LeBron's layup out of bounds with a "Buddha's Palm" block, the score between and the US at the end of the first quarter was set at 22-31. entered the second quarter with a Wade-sized lead.
During the break, Kidd and Kobe encouraged their teammates who were about to go back on court: "As long as we all do our jobs and seize every shooting opportunity, we will definitely achieve redemption after this final!"
Unlike previous US teams, this Redemption Team was a team with leaders. Just as Zack remembered, Kobe led the defense every possession during the game and gave his all every night.
But no matter how hard or seriously Kobe defended, it had no effect on Zack. Because as long as the US team dared to use Kobe, who was only 196 cm tall in actual height, to defend him, Zack would be eternally grateful for the US team's immense kindness.
"Brown, you need to pull yourself together, you're the only one on our team who can counter Messiah!" On the US team bench, Anthony, Wade, and Paul all stepped forward to encourage LeBron, who would get a short rest at the start of the second quarter. However, compared to his teammates' encouragement, what LeBron clearly needed more at that moment was to be left alone.
In the second quarter, the US team once again suffered the consequences of choosing Prince over Marion during the selection process. Why didn't the US team choose to bring Marion? American media generally speculated that the reason this Redemption Team abandoned Marion was: in the 2004 Athens Olympics, because Anthony and LeBron were both unhappy about backing up Marion, when it was finally their turn to be the main players, these two brothers unhesitatingly cast their dissenting votes against Marion during the Redemption Team's selection phase.
Zack didn't know if the US team's reason for abandoning Marion was truly as the American media speculated. But when Prince tentatively stood before him, looking at this "Spiderman," Zack felt that US head coach Mike Krzyzewski was somewhat disrespectful towards him.
Indeed, as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league today, Prince had astonishing defensive range and extremely excellent lateral quickness. But, in front of the 124-kilogram Zack, Prince's weight, which was less than 100 kilograms… How could he defend Zack's tank-like drives with the ball?
On the court, during 's offensive possession, Prince defended as hard as ever. He executed every defensive detail to the best of his ability. Even though he knew he was no match for Zack, he bravely tried to use his thin body to block the behemoth's offense. Then, the moment Zack launched his violent drive, Prince was slammed out of his defensive area like a kite with a broken string.
Then, his gaze shifted to the US team's restricted area, guarded by Boozer and Bosh. Zack didn't hesitate to display his overflowing talent to this Redemption Team! Zack jumped from outside the three-second lane, and after a mid-air hang to evade Boozer in the lane, he dunked over "Dragon King" Bosh!
An aerial hang-dunk! As the new GOAT smashed open the US team's restricted area with an old GOAT's signature move, the entire Wukesong Basketball Arena erupted in deafening cheers for Zack! Zack was brutally seizing hegemony from American basketball!
On ESPN, Mike Breen spoke with a hint of sorrow in his voice: "The dignity of American basketball has been trampled underfoot by him. We don't have a single player whose level can match his!"
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